Apology to Southerners

Dear Residents of the South:

Winter can be a touchy subject between Midwesterners and Southerners. Residents of the Midwest take pride in their ability to tough-out months of freezing temperatures, sub-zero windchills, and feet of snow. They scoff when they hear reports of Southern towns all but shutting down when a mere two inches of snow falls. Two inches in the Midwest isn't enough to bat an eye at.

I know these things happen because I'm guilty of them. I make fun of Darrell when schools near his hometown in North Carolina close when there is just a threat of snow. I laughed when a Christmas snow in Georgia (all inch and a half of it!) caused churches and everything else to close their doors for the day, especially since Darrell and I left Minneapolis a few days earlier in four inches of snow (and it was still coming down).

But, I'm here today to say that I stand corrected. I have no choice but to eat my words (and you can believe Darrell was quick to point that out to me). Our winter storm warning yesterday only produced two to three inches of snow on the ground (although probably closer to six inches fell), but schools let out early and evening activities across the city closed. And it wasn't just because this was one of the first actual snow storms we've had all winter and people have just forgotten how to handle it. It was because we got genuine Southern snow.

Now, hear me out. I'm not totally crazy. There is definitely a difference between the "normal" snow that the Midwest gets and the snow that the South gets in the winter. I've been both places enough to see the difference for myself. Most of the time, Midwest snow is a very dry snow. In fact, Darrell didn't know that it was possible for snow to blow across the interstate like sand until he came to South Dakota. And sure, it can be nasty because it blows around and causes whiteout conditions, but it takes a lot of it for anything to happen since it's pretty easy to drive through. But in the South, every time they get snow it's the big, wet, sticky flakes. Plus the ground temperature is usually above freezing, which can cause the first few inches to melt. And as more snow falls, the roads get covered in a slushy mess. Pair that with no salt trucks, few (if any) snow plows, and windy, hilly roads, and it's easy to see why towns in the south shut down with a few inches of snow.

In fact, with the fleet of snow plows around here, the prevalence of salt trucks, and the flat, straight roads, I'd say that it reflects poorly on the Midwest that a few inches of slush caused as many closings and cancelations as it did. Maybe the South isn't so wrong in their fear of snow after all. I have learned my lesson and I apologize for speaking ill of you.

Sincerely,

A Slushy, Wet Midwesterner